It is commonly held that evolution teaches the “survival of the fittest,” as Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) put it. Life forms at all levels compete until the best mutation in each species prevails. Many advocates of conservative politics and free market economics project a blueprint for human society from this summary formulation: the fittest will rule; the others should conform or die off. But Darwin’s own formulation, “natural selection,” is far subtler than Spencer’s. Continue Reading